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Get Lean, Get Strong Challenge kicks off

GETTING IN SHAPE: Ms Reza Redwan with her husband Nathaniel Naplah.

Ms Reza Redwan.

The Get Lean, Get Strong Challenge 2016, jointly organised by The New Paper and fitness company AIBI, starts tomorrow. More than 80 people wrote in to be one of 10 contestants in the fitness challenge. HARIZ BAHARUDIN (harizbah@sph.com.sg) speaks to two of them

Training will start from 'ground zero'

Choosing the 10 participants out of the more than 80 people who signed up was no easy task, and Mr Devito says he personally interviewed each one of them before deciding.

What he looked for: a strong desire to get fit.

Says Mr Devito: "We have a great mix of people. They have been trying hard to lose weight but just don't know why they can't. Their stories spoke to me."

During the first few weeks, Mr Devito will be easing the participants into his training programme. The focus will be on conditioning their joints, as well as improving their flexibility.

"Some of them might have their own exercise regime, but I want to start them from ground zero. It is as if they are like babies. I will make sure they unlearn the mistakes from their past and learn my correct techniques," Mr Devito says.

This means that they will not see results within the first three weeks or so, but Mr Devito is confident their efforts will pay off.

He says: "We made it a six-month programme. The change will not be immediate, but it will start showing soon."

If there is one thing he hopes for in the contestants, it is commitment.

"Some of the stuff I will be telling them might be foreign to them, but as long as they keep an open heart and an open ear, I guarantee they will get the results they desire."

About the competition

The Get Lean, Get Strong Challenge 2016, jointly organised by The New Paper and fitness equipment company AIBI, is a fitness competition that challenges 10 participants to shed as much weight as they can.

Under the supervision of weight-loss guru David Devito, 50, contestants will undergo an intensive six-month training regime worth $5,000.

This consists of one-hour classes thrice a week at Mr Devito's gym, The Fitness Protocol, using his techniques that have helped more than 300 people achieve their dream physiques.

Rather than focus solely on cardiovascular exercises like running, Mr Devito's methods, which feature the use of the kettlebell, have a strong emphasis on technique.

Participants will also have to watch what they eat and adhere to a strict diet that Mr Devito and his team will plan and monitor.

The participant who loses the most weight will receive a treadmill, exercise bike and stepper from AIBI, worth a total of $6,100.

There are also prizes for the second- and third-placed contestants and consolation prizes for the other seven contestants.

People still need to be reminded of the importance of exercise, says AIBI managing director Pauline Kwek, 51.

She adds: "We hope to put across the message that exercising and eating right are the best ways to keep fit and achieve a dream body."